


BATIM - After Events

by demonfire57



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Family, Inspired by Art, Inspired by Music, Monster Bendy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-04-26 20:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14409651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonfire57/pseuds/demonfire57
Summary: When Henry escapes the studio at the end of the game, he also escapes with Alice Angel and Boris the Wolf. But with the separation from Bendy weighing heavily on the two toons; Henry agrees to bring Bendy home, where he belongs.





	1. Toonish Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> So, this Idea was playing around in my head for a while and decided to give it a go. I dunno if it'll ever a "completed" work, but hopefully so. Also, I wanted to point out that a lot of the inspiration for this piece came from http://the-vampire-inside-me.tumblr.com/ , http://doberart.tumblr.com/ , & http://shingyzango.tumblr.com/ as well as the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7nEN9HVyw   
> So, give them some love because they are amazing people!

It had been nearly a year since the events that occurred in the old studio.

Almost a year, and yet, it felt so long ago.

To Henry, it felt as if decades had passed.

When he had returned home to see Linda waiting for him, Henry could only smile and hug his wife, knowing that what was about to happen next would change their life forever. It was then that he introduced two small toons to the woman, who immediately recognized them as Boris the Wolf and Alice Angel from the cartoons Henry used to draw when he worked at Joey Drew Studios.

Linda, who had had two children with Henry before the war, welcomed to two toons with open arms, knowing that she would again have “children” to help raise again. Boris and Alice were very grateful to have a mother figure to look up to now. It was only after the toons had made themselves at home and had fallen asleep in one of the old bedrooms that Linda was able to pull the truth out of Henry.

She listened in shock and amazement of he returned to the damned studio and discovered that all his characters had been brought to life by the ink machine. He had successful gained Boris as a companion and even saved him from Alice when she was in a demented form. A little talking and acceptance had released her to become the sweet little angel she was once before.

But when Linda asked about Bendy, Henry became silent.

The final encounter with the little devil darling caused some heartaches for poor Henry. He, Boris, and Alice tried to persuade the once-lovable demon to come home after Bendy had attempted to attack and kill Henry. He had shouted out, growling that the studio was his home and that they could never belong in the human world. Then, he became silent and turned, ink dripping down his slumped shoulders, a sign of defeat.

The monster toon told them to leave.

Henry could hardly believe it; the ink devil was allowing them to leave unharmed?

He didn’t question it and took both Boris and Alice away, far away from the life that had poisoned their minds against their creator.

Even so, the year since the escape had been dragging by ever so slowly. Both Alice and Boris seemed comfortable living among the humans, even going so far as to play with the neighborhood children that lived near Henry and Linda.

But something was changing between the two toons. When Alice and Boris were first brought to their new home, they were relieved and care-free, often chatting up a storm with the children, Henry, or Linda. But recently, their attitudes had changed to sullen and quiet. And Henry wasn’t the only one to notice, Linda had caught the two toons crying softly in their bedrooms one late night. When she attempted to sooth them and ask what was wrong, both Alice and Boris had become silent, as if afraid to say what was bothering them.

It wasn’t until one day that the two adults sat the toons down. Henry, being the toons’ father in a strange sort of way, sat across from them on a chair while Linda, Alice, and Boris sat side by side on the couch.

“Alice, Boris,” Henry began, voice stern with concern, “What’s going on?”

Alice blinked in surprise, “What do you mean, Henry?”

“You two haven’t been acting like yourselves, lately, and it’s concerning.”

“There’s nothing goin’ on,” Boris answered, “We’ve just been tired lately.”

“Tired is a key word that something’s up,” Linda stated, “We had two kids before you two came along and we know that something’s bothering you. Why, just this week, you both didn’t go and play with the kids at the basketball court like you usually do.”

Alice and Boris looked at each other in shock. Henry watched as Alice hung her head in dismay and Boris opened his mouth and confessed a secret, “We’re worried about… Bendy.”

Henry raised an eyebrow in surprise. No one had mentioned the little demon since the escape.

“He just wasn’t himself when we left,” Alice piped up, “I know him and he would’ve come with us if he could.”

“He would never just… let us go like that,” Boris continued, “We were the only family he knew for so long, why would Bendy abandoned us like that?”

Alice began to shake as inky tears spilled from her eyes. Boris wrapped an arm around her, comforting her while Henry and Linda looked at each other. It never occurred to either that as much as these two toons had changed their lives, that they needed the final one to make their family complete.

They needed Bendy as much as he needed them.

Henry stood and put his hands on each toon’s shoulders, smiling, “Don’t worry, we’ll get him back, and bring him home.”


	2. Encountering a Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... yeah, have another chapter today I guess?

The car pulled into the gravel drive of the abandoned studio for a second time. Henry parked the car and opened the door as the two toons in his car hopped out, clearly excited to see their “brother” again.

It had taken a bit of persuasion on Henry’s part to have Linda allow him to return to the cursed studio. It wasn’t like he could blame her either, he had barely made it out alive the first time around, who was to say that he could make it out a second time?

Henry went around the trunk of the car and pulled an axe covered in ink out. He looked at it as Boris and Alice realized at the place they were in was just as dangerous as it had been the first time through. Henry gripped the axe tightly and headed toward the door, Alice and Boris hot on his heels.

“Do you think we’ll find him, Henry?” Alice asked softly, fear bubbling up in her heart.

“It shouldn’t be too hard,” Henry answered, “After all, if we don’t find him, he’ll find us.”

***

The studio was just as the three had left it nearly a year ago. Ink was splattered across the walls and floors and some dripped from the ceiling to create large puddles of the stuff. ‘The Creator Lied to Us’ and ‘He Will Set Us Free’ was written across the walls where the ink splotches had avoided to land.

Henry, with the axe up and ready to swing, continued through the darkened halls with Alice and Boris gripping him like a security blanket. All of them knew fully well what could be lurking in the darkness, strange inky creatures with long lanky bodies that crawled across the floor, grasping for anything to drag with them into the darkness, or the remaining clones of the once-famous butcher gang, also grasping for anything to destroy and add to their already distorted forms.

A sudden pumping sound came from around a corner, so Henry followed the noise with Alice and Boris right behind him. The sound suddenly stopped when they reached a door. Henry peeked inside to see a new and improved ink machine, but now it was silent.

Alice and Boris poked their heads in and gasped at the new machine.

“A new one?” Boris asked, “How many does Bendy need?”

“Wait a minute,” Henry looked at the wolf, “What do you mean by ‘how many’?”

“There were at least two I knew of before I found you nearly a year ago,” Boris explained, “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were at least five here in the building.”

Henry blinked, ‘Five ink machines? What the hell was going on?’

Alice approached the machine and touched it, before bouncing back in shock, crying out. Henry and Boris ran forward and saw some of Alice’s ink begin to drip.

“It’s still warm,” she murmured, “Which means that Bendy was here and can’t be far.”

“Alright, let’s head out and look for any footprints that might belong to him.”

Then, the lights flickered slightly. Henry, Boris, and Alice cuddled close to each other, Henry raised his axe, ready to protect the toons.

“I see ya have returned,” A gravelly voice cut through the silence. The three intruders turned to see an inky figure sitting atop the once empty ink machine.

Black ink veins had spread all around them, capturing them in the darkness. The source sat atop the once working ink machine with legs and arms crossed. Ink dribbled down every inch of its body, making the creature have a menacing appearance. The only features that gave any indication that this was indeed the little devil darling was the two horn-like ears that sat on its head, a wide grinning smile on the part of its face that could be seen, a drooping white bow tie at its neck, white gloves that looked like clawed hands with ink dripping across them, and a devilish tail swishing back and forth. The creature that was before them was indeed Bendy, but then again wasn’t.

Henry let the axe lower slightly as Alice and Boris smiled at seeing their friend.

“Bendy!” Alice called out, “We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“We’re going to take ya home!” Boris chimed in, tail wagging with excitement.

But what followed caused to two to back in shock, “Home? This IS my Home! AND YA ABANDONED ME!”

The demon’s roar shook the room, causing Alice and Boris to duck behind Henry. All three had seen his rage, especially during the last stand one year ago. However, none of them knew how furious this creature could become, especially since he was one of the most powerful in the studio due to his ties directly to hell.

The demon jumped from the machine, raising himself to his full height. Henry was already a big man at 6 foot 1 inches, but his creation towered over him at 7 foot. The devil darling smiled before laughing, “Look at ya cowards! Ya think ya’ll can waltz in here and FUCKIN’ DRAG ME FROM THE ONLY WORLD I’VE KNOWN!?!”

Bendy through his head back and cackled, “I SHOULD DESTROY YA WHERE YA STANDIN NOW!”

But his cackles turned sour, causing the demon to suddenly break into tears, “No… Ya did what ya wanted to do, and I can’t blame ya for it…”

Alice reached out as Boris did, hoping to catch the demon’s hands, before he pulled away, hissing softly.

“Bendy, come on,” Henry spoke softly, “We have a safe haven for you, Alice, and Boris. We can leave this place and never look back. Come on, bud, let’s go home.”

The demon seemed to consider his offer, but he turned his back to the three, tail lashing like a cat’s in a fit of anger, “Get out.”

The three looked in shock, disbelief etched onto their faces. Boris attempted again, “Ben-”

“I said, GET OUT!” The demon roared, causing the room to shudder violently, “GET OUT AND DON’T EVER COME BACK! I MIGHT NOT BE SO MERCIFUL NEXT TIME!”

Henry got the hint and pulled the wolf and the angel through the doorway, heading towards the exit. He was so focused on getting them out alive that he didn’t see the hole in the floor until all three were falling and landed with a loud _thump!_

Henry rubbed his head as Alice and Boris knelt and looked up. They couldn’t see where they had fallen from, but they could thankfully see where they had fallen to. They had landed right into Shawn Flynn’s office, near the Heavenly Toys Workshop.

Henry looked around before reaching out and grabbed his axe. Boris and Alice helped their father stand and all dusted themselves off. Henry knew there was an exit nearby so he began to lead the way as the toons gripped his shirt once again.

He could feel their disappointment radiating off them and knew they felt like failures for trying to bring Bendy home. Henry stopped and squeezed their shoulders gently, “Hey, it’s gonna be alright.”

Alice looked up at Henry, some inky tears beginning to drip down her white cheeks, “But Bendy…”

“Bendy chose his own path as both of you have,” Henry explained, “There is nothing you can do to change his mind. We tried to bring him home, but he sees this shell of a studio as his home.”

Boris nodded in understanding while Alice wiped the tears away as Henry continued, “And you’ll always have me, Linda, the kids… we’re all a part of your lives and you are a part of our family, no matter what.”

He pulled the toons in for a hug and they hugged Henry back. They’d get through it, they knew, they just had to accept what had happened.


	3. A Demon's Protection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This writing is inspired by the BATIM Art of http://the-vampire-inside-me.tumblr.com/ & http://doberart.tumblr.com/ as well as the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7nEN9HVyw   
> So, give them some love because they are amazing people and, as always, please R&R!

Bendy was leaning over the hole where he had seen Henry, Boris, and Alice disappear through. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear movement and knew that they were safe… for now.

He growled softly and stood before heading back for where he came. The inky portals allowed him complete access to anywhere in the studio, so he decided to head to where the three intruders were.

Entering the darkness, thoughts consumed Bendy’s mind of what happened in one of the many ink machine rooms. Why did Alice and Boris return? Was it guilt that was haunting them every day and caused their return? They said something about “bringing him home…”

Bendy hissed softly at that thought. Whatever they saw as their home wasn’t his home. This studio had been his home for thirty years, and both Alice and Boris had claimed this was a prison that held them for those years, waiting without any hope to escape.

Until Henry showed up.

Bendy knew Joey had needed Henry to complete the final parts to make him a “perfect” toon, but Bendy hadn’t seen the man for nearly a decade. He could only assume that the man had died before he could finish Bendy. The demon growled again, this was starting to get on his nerves.

The next time he did encounter those three, he’d kill Henry and lock Boris and Alice back up, keeping them someplace where no one could find them and only he could keep an eye on them.

***

As Alice and Boris followed Henry through the Heavenly Toys workshop, they couldn’t help but feel like something was off about the whole place. Even Henry couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched.

The Heaven Toys workshop was just how Henry remembered it when he first arrived here with Boris right behind him. The space was open except for the center of the room, which hosted a large Bendy statute with a waterfall made of ink behind it. Large and small plushies of Boris, Bendy, and Alice covered the floor of the workshop, some hidden within the seat of sofas that sat on either side of the room. Smashed Bendy cardboard cut-outs were also littered across the area from Henry’s last adventure.

However, what put them all on edge were the ink puddles that were spread all around the workshop. These puddles here were larger, larger than most of the others that existed in the studio, which was a perfect breeding spot for the well-known ink searchers to appear out of no-where. Henry kept his eyes on them as they made their way slowly toward one of the exits in the studio, the thick ink continuing to drip from the ceiling and fall into the puddles.

Then, Boris stopped, ears twitching and fur on end. Alice turned to look at him before tugging on Henry’s shirt sleeve, “What’s up, Boris?”

“Um, guys, is it just me, or do ya hear that as well?”

Everyone grew quiet and listened.

It was hard to hear at first, but there was a low chuckle that seemed to be growing louder and louder, as if the owner of the laugh was coming closer and closer. And it wasn’t Bendy’s gruesome cackling either.

Suddenly, searchers popped up out of no-where, hands grabbing at the tiny group in order to pull them into the inky darkness with them. Henry slashed at them with the axe, shouting for Boris and Alice to run to a safe spot above one of the sofas. Boris, like the big brother, grabbed Alice’s hand and pulled her along.

But it wasn’t only the searchers they need to worry about, as three familiar figures appeared followed closely behind by their clones. Since the searchers had Henry occupied, the Butcher Gang clones headed toward Boris and Alice. The toon angel shouted in fright when an Edgar clone nearly grabbed her ankle. Boris, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky.

A Barley and Charlie clone pulled the wolf down from his spot, jumping upon him. Boris swiped at them, causing the two clones to slam into each other out of fear of being hit by the wolf. Boris continued to swipe at the clones as they continued their onslaught of the trio.

Henry had enough time to see the trouble Boris and Alice were in before another searcher attacked him from behind. Alice Angel gasped in shock as Henry was suddenly pulled down by the searchers, the ink flying as Henry continued to swing his axe at them.

“Please Bendy! Help us!”

***

A sudden shout caused Bendy to race quicker through the portal. It sounded like Alice was in trouble. Damn that Henry for dragging her and Boris with him into this hell hole! It was safer for them to remain under his demonic watch and away from the humans, rather than to be pulled around by the humans this way and that.

When he reached the opening, he discovered the cause of the angel’s distress.

The entire Heaven Toys workshop had been overrun by the Butcher Gang clones and the ink searchers. Probably all sent by Sammy as a means to capture his “sheep” for the sacrifice ritual that happened once in a great while.

Well, once he had straightened this out, he was going put Sammy Lawrence through hell and back again, then repeat the process until he got the point.

The inky veins traveled along the walls as a warning. All the ink creatures stopped and looked up to the source, the creature who ruled these depths. A handful, upon seeing the ink demon, backed away into the inky darkness from where they came.

Bendy felt his brow furrow when several searchers hissed at him. For thirty years, he was the master of the studio, the one true ruler over this inky darkness, and many of the creatures that were brought to life by the ink machines knew very well that he was to be feared.

He hissed back at the searchers as a warning to not mess with him. However, they didn’t get the message. The searchers and a handful of the Butcher gang clones ran towards Bendy, who took up his stance, hissing and growling as a warning again.

A Charlie clone lifted his wrench high above his head to swing at the ink demon, but was met by Bendy’s inky gloved claws, destroying the clone in seconds. Although he had destroyed one clone, the others, and searchers included, ignored the fact that this demon was three times their size and ten times stronger than the human they had been ordered to attack.

While Bendy was working on the ones who attacked him, Henry and Boris attempted to take out the few that still were trying to drag them into the inky darkness. But whenever a searcher or a butcher clone cried out in agony, two or three gave up on the fight with the other two and moved to help their friends.

When Henry finished off the final searcher, he ran over to where Alice and Boris were. “Ya’ll right?” he asked, helping Alice down from the safe area above the sofa.

“I’m okay,” she murmured.

“We’re good,” Boris confirmed.

A sudden screeching noise made all three turn their heads in time to see the remaining clones and searchers piling themselves on top of the ink demon. Bendy grasped at the inky bodies, growling, hissing, and screeching at them. Claws dug into the inky bodies, breaking them apart in his claws. An axe suddenly swung at a Barley clone and Bendy saw Henry jump in to save the demon. The two swung and fought the remaining few that stuck around. Several seemed to get the message at last and vanished into the darkness.

As they watched the final one run in fear, Bendy felt himself suddenly drained. His power felt at an all-time low and he couldn’t help but feel himself fall. Henry dropped his axe and caught the demon in his arms, for fear of him hurting himself even more than he already had. Boris and Alice ran over in time to see the ink of the once-powerful being fall away.

The two toons knelt beside Henry as the demon gasped for breath, worry filling their features.

“He’s weak,” Henry explained, “he’ll be fine after some rest and good food.”

Henry lifted the demon into his arms, noticing how the demon seemed to be shrinking rapidly, as well as becoming lighter than he was before. Boris and Alice followed Henry towards the exit, the axe held by Boris.

As they exited, they failed to notice two figures appear in the workshop. One was covered in ink from head to foot and wore ink covered white overalls and a Bendy mask while the other was dressed in casual dress clothes while a Bendy brooch sat on the tie he wore.

The well-dressed man looked over the defeated clones and searchers that laid in puddles of ink. Apparently, he wasn’t expecting for Bendy to protect those idiots from the creatures.

“My lord…”

The man turned and smiled evil at his ink covered companion, “He will return to us, just wait and see.”


	4. Fearful Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This writing is inspired by the BATIM Art of http://the-vampire-inside-me.tumblr.com/ & http://doberart.tumblr.com/ as well as the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7nEN9HVyw  
> So, give them some love because they are amazing people and, as always, please R&R!

The door to the Ross residence slammed opened and Linda jumped from the couch to see Boris and Alice rush in, followed closely by Henry, who was carrying a small inky-black figure. Ink covered all three from head to foot and, before Linda could barely get words out of her mouth to ask about what happened, Henry turned to her, “We got to get him fixed up.”

Linda looked into Henry’s arms a gasped in surprise to see what was left of what could be Bendy. The devil darling was wrapped securely in Henry’s arms by an old blanket. Ink was dripping from his brow and inky tears were falling from his tightly shut eyes.

A hand pressed to his brow confirmed Linda’s suspicions. Unlike Alice and Boris, who were cool to the touch, Bendy was burning up like a little flame. She shooed Henry up the stairs to one of the closest rooms, which happened to be their own bedroom, before calling for Alice and Boris to get a few ice packs from the freezer.

Once the two returned with some of the ice packs, Henry and Linda had both gotten Bendy settled into their bed, surrounded by soft bed sheets. Alice gave Henry one ice pack and their father began to press it gently against Bendy’s flaming forehead. The little demon flinched at the contact before relaxing into the coolness. Boris sat with Linda on the other side, watching his friend with worry.

After a few minutes of Henry pressing the pack against the demon toon’s head, he set the now heated pack to the side, taking another from Alice and repeating the process. Linda excused herself to the kitchen, “I’ll make some chicken noodle soup for him, that’ll help bring the fever down as well.”

Once she was gone, Boris softly asked, “Will he be okay?”

“I don’t know, Boris,” Henry answered, looking at the two toons with fear and worry, “I really don’t know…”

***

_“Bendy… Bendy…”_

_The demon’s eyes snapped opened to see a familiar face smiling at him. The man that stood before him had dark brown hair with greyish streaks mixed in his locks with pale blue eyes and wrinkles that covered his face and traveled down his neck. His hands, which rested on the little toon’s knees, were also covered in wrinkles. He wore a black vest and a white shirt with a pale blue tie and dark grey dress pants. What was curious about this man was the brooch that sat near his neck, it looked like a little smiling demon._

_The demon looked up at the man as he began to speak again, “Why hello, little devil. Do you know where you are?”_

_When the demon shook his head, the man continued, “You’re in a Studio, and I am the owner here. It took me quite a bit to find you, but when I did, I had you brought here.”_

_The demon cocked his head in interest._ Who was this man and what did he want? And why did he look god-awful familiar?

_“I know it’s a lot to take in,” the man grinned again, “but I can promise you, you will be safe here Bendy. This is your home now, and I hope I can live up to be what a father is.”_

_He chuckled, “But you can call me Joey if you like.”_

Joey… Joey… Joey Drew…

_Then the scene changed to inky blackness and Bendy felt himself pulled by another voice, this one belonging to his dear angel._

_“Bendy… please come back…”_

Bendy suddenly sat up in an unfamiliar bed, surrounded on both sides by Boris and Alice. The angel, upon seeing the demon suddenly bounce up, jumped on the bed and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek.

“Oh, I knew it! I knew it!” Alice cheered, “I knew you would come back! I just knew it!”

“Alice! What in the world!” an unfamiliar female voice shouted at the angel, “Get off him! He just recovered and might still be very weak!”

Bendy watched as his friend bounced off the bed to allow him to look at the woman who had entered the room. She was a pretty thing with light brown hair, graying streaks near her temples, and sky-blue eyes that held authority in the household. She wore a white short sleeved t-shirt and a light gray knee-length skirt and black flats with little pearl earrings topped off the assemble.

She stood in the doorway, watching all of them. Alice lowered her head, “Sorry, mom.”

“Mom? What the #3//?” Bendy grasped his throat when his voice came out small and a squeaky toy noise followed what should have been a curse word.

Alice giggled while Boris howled with laughter. The woman in the doorway chuckled before approaching the demon and rested a hand on his forehead.

“The fever is down,” she diagnosed, “It might take a bit before you’re back to your full self, but in the meantime, you should be able to be fine getting out of bed for a bit.”

Bendy watched as the woman smile and stood, leaving the room to the toons. He turned on Boris and Alice then, a frown on his features, “What is going on? Where are we and why are we here?”

His companions looked at each other before Boris spoke, “What was the last thing ya remember?”

“I can’t recall… I think we were fightin’ them searchers and the Butcher gang clones…”

Alice took his hand softly and Bendy realized that he no longer had his massive claws that he had for so long. He looked up as Alice angel began to explain, “You found us in the Heavenly Toys workshop. You were nearly over-powered by the searchers and clones, until Henry jumped in and helped you.”

_The betrayer helped him? Why would he do that?_

Bendy got a chance to ask as Boris finished, “Ya collapsed. Henry and Linda claim a fever caused by stress, anger, and possibly starvation might ‘ave been the cause. We brought ya ta Henry’s home so they could take care of ya, like they did with Alice an’ I.”

They brought him here? Bendy looked around the room, noticing for the first time that it wasn’t a place he had ever seen before. As he took in his surroundings, he realized that this place must’ve been the betrayer’s bedroom, obviously shared with that woman who Alice and Boris called ‘Mom.’

“How long have I been here?” he asked, suddenly worried.

“About three days,” Boris answered, “We were worried that the fever wouldn’t break. Henry was worried the most, though.”

Bedny rubbed his forehead, trying to wrap his head around everything that was going on. Alice leaned over and kissed his cheek, “Don’t worry about anything, Bendy. We’re safe, and you’re home at last.”

“But, this ain’t my home…”

Boris pressed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “You’ll see what we mean, but fer now, just rest up. Ya’ll need the energy.”

Boris stood and walked out of the room, Alice right behind him. After the door shut and the two left Bendy to his dark mind, the little demon sprung out of bed. He looked down at himself and saw the he had shrunk considerably. Instead of hoofs, he was wearing the well-known little black boots that he had worn at one point in his life. The lop-sided tie was straightened and his gloves were pristine. He looked up, only to jump slightly at seeing himself reflected in the mirror. The little devil darling was staring back him, just how he looked on the posters in the studio.

The demon lifted one hand, and the reflection followed his movement. He growled to himself, knowing that as long as he was trapped in this form, he would never be as powerful as he had once been.


	5. Frightening Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the Delay in Chapter. With work and finals week, I haven't been able to come up with anything spectacular to write. Promise that the next chapter will be longer and have more juice than this one.
> 
> Also, this writing is inspired by the BATIM Art of http://the-vampire-inside-me.tumblr.com/ & http://doberart.tumblr.com/ as well as the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7nEN9HVyw   
> So, give them some love because they are amazing people and, as always, please R&R!
> 
> All Characters belong respectively to the Meatly Games and Mike Mood.

After two weeks of bed rest, Linda confirmed that Bendy was strong enough to leave the bedroom and the house entirely. Henry, upon hearing it, knew the first thing the little demon would try to do would be to change his form to the frightening creature he had been in the studio.

And he was right.

Henry caught Bendy in the backyard of the house, trying with all his might to grow in size. But all he seemed to be doing was sweating ink off his brow and holding his breath, causing the little devil darling to keep collapsing on his hands and knees into the dirt. And more than once they heard a screeching cry of frustration.

The first time Linda heard it, she nearly popped out of her skin because it was unexpected. Henry continued to read his book when she leaned over and asked what that noise was. He rested a hand on hers, not looking up from his book, “It’s Bendy.”

“Bendy? Oh, goodness! What if he’s hurt?” she stood to go and check on the cartoon when Henry stopped her.

“He’s not hurt. He’s just shouting in frustration.”

And sure enough, buzzers, honks, and squeaky toy noises echoed in the house as the demon tried to swear his inky brains out. Linda tried to hold her snort in as the demon walked passed them, gloved hands in fists and grumbling all the way.

And it wasn’t only the humans who noticed Bendy’s behavior. Alice and Boris both had encountered the demon doing the same thing, as well as attempting to draw out his power in order to recreate the inky veins that spread along the walls when in the Studio. Even that had no such luck.

But what was a constant startle to everyone was the fact that not only was Bendy attempting to regain control over his power, but he seemed to have dizzy spells. Whenever he gave up on trying to turn back to his preferred form, Bendy couldn’t walk more than five steps before collapsing.

“You keep this up, Bendy, and you’ll be back in bed,” Henry warned the demon as he patched him up one evening after his latest fall, this time down the stairs.

“I don’t need ya ta tell me what I can and can’t do,” Bendy growled.

“No, I can’t,” Henry agreed, “but take my advice, if you continue to try and rebuild yourself, you’ll only make yourself sick again. And I know and understand how frustrating it is to be bed-ridden.”

The demon cocked a brow at him in silent questioning. Henry sighed and explained, “During the war, I had become trapped in some of the rubble from a bombing. I would have died if some men from my company hadn’t seen the building collapse and took it upon themselves to attempt to get those of us under the bricks and stone out.”

He looked up as if lost in a memory, “The sickness that followed was exhausting. I couldn’t breathe it felt like, and any solid foods were hard to get down. Out of those of us that were trapped under the rubble, I was the only one who survived.”

“Is that why ya left?” Bendy asked suddenly, “’Cause of some war?”

“I… was drafted. I had no choice. None of us did.”

Henry watched as the little ink demon looked down at his shoes. He couldn’t blame Bendy for not knowing anything about it, he wasn’t created until long after Henry had left the studio. Even so, if Joey had something to do with why the little devil darling called Henry a “betrayer,” Henry wished Joey was still around so he could punch the man square in the nose for lying to Bendy.

“I’m… sorry.”

Henry’s eyes widened in surprise at hearing Bendy apologizing, “I didn’t realize that bein’ drafted meant that ya had ta go… ya needed ta. It wasn’t fair, ta me or you.”

“Not for Alice, Boris, Linda, or the kids either, Bendy,” Henry nodded, “But I don’t blame you. I just wish that Joey had explained things to you better.”

Henry watched as Bendy shuttered at hearing Joey’s name. Did something happen to him while he was away from the studio? Did Joey… hurt the little cartoon?

He never got a chance to ask as Linda’s voice echoed through the house, “Dinner is served!”

A loud bang and a few crashes could be heard from the other side and both human and demon toon looked out into the hallway to see Alice and Boris racing toward the dining room as if their life depended on it. The two of them were shouting at each other as Bendy and Henry laughed out loud.

The human looked down at the toon before making his way down the stairs, following the wolf and the angel. The little demon tailed behind him, a real smile painted on his face for the first time in thirty years.


	6. Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay... I've been lacking in the inspiration department for BATIM lately. That was until I was up til 2 in the morning because inspiration is a b*tch like that...  
> Anyways, please R&R and let me know if there are any mistakes cause, hehe, I was extremely tired when I wrote this chapter...

_“Joey,” the little demon looked at a piece of the machinery that his creator was working with, “What’s this?”_

_“This, my darling little devil,” the man began, “is an Enhancer.”_

_“What’s an enhancer?”_

_Joey chuckled, patting the little demon on the head, “It is supposed to help your power increase as well as your strength. The world is a dangerous place, for you, my little devil.”_

_“Ya mean outside the studio walls?” the demon asked, a cartoonish question mark popping above his head._

_“Exactly,” the man answered, “and I want this place to be, essentially, your kingdom. Everything here will be at your command and if any humans try to walk in here and take it away from you, I want you to be powerful, so you can protect yourself and your subjects.”_

_“But that don’t make sense,” Bendy scratched his head in confusion, “Ya said yerself that no one ever comes here, that this place is abandoned.”_

_“That may be so, my little devil,” Joey smiled, “But there will be people some day, and you will need to protect yourself, and your friends Alice and Boris. You’d do anything for them, right?”_

_“Well, yeah. They’re my family.”_

_Joey showed his teeth in his grin, and it scared the little devil a little the way the human was looking at him, “Then you must be… powerful, Bendy. You must have the strength to always fight for them.”_

_Bendy looked confused still, “But, wasn’t I created ta make people… laugh? I don’t want ta hurt anybody Joey…”_

_“The world doesn’t care anymore about you!” The little demon jumped at the sharpness of his creator’s voice. Joey had stood to his full height and Bendy could see that whatever he said had caused Joey to clearly show both anger and hate._

_The man growled, “The world and it’s people don’t care about you or the others anymore. Why, Henry abandoned you here! Humans are not to be trusted! They will destroy you and anything else that shows a spark of happiness or light!”_

_Bendy looked at his little black shoes, muttering an apology before leaving the room that suddenly felt cold and empty._

***

Bendy noticed that Boris was poking at his breakfast the following morning. He knew what was bugging his best friend, and it had to do with him waking the little demon up in the middle of the night because of his cries.

The nightmares had seemed to increase in violence since his arrival and he started to feel very cold, never mind that he still didn’t trust any humans, even the ones that were currently sitting at the table. But, how could he blame them?

Henry looked up from his coffee cup and looked at the wolf with concern, “Boris? Something wrong?”

“Nah… just havin’ trouble sleepin’ is all,” the wolf replied, stirring his eggs around his plate as if he was trying to paint a picture with them.

“Nightmares from the latest studio trip?” Linda asked.

Bendy fidgeted with his cloth napkin. He blamed himself for Boris’ lack of sleep. The wolf had sensitive hearing and any noise would wake him up and keep him awake, and the demon’s cries in the evening seemed to be the cause of Boris’ lack of sleep.

He returned to the present as Boris shook his head, “Nah, nothin’ like that mom, just keep hearing stuff that keeps me awake.”

Henry smiled, “I should’ve known that you had sensitive hearing, Boris. I’ll give you some ear plugs tonight to use when you go to bed.”

Alice looked surprised, “How did you know Boris has sensitive hearing?”

“Well, he is a wolf after all. Like dogs, they all have extremely good hearing, perfect for keeping guard. And, believe it or not, some humans suffer from it as well. Our oldest needed to sleep with earplugs in so he could get a good night’s sleep, otherwise he was just like Boris, always tired and lost interest in a lot of stuff.”

The wolf perked up at the thought, nodding in agreement to let Henry give him something to help him sleep at night.

Suddenly, a loud banging on the door jolted everyone at the table. Henry stood, “Finish your breakfast, and I’ll see who it is.”

Bendy turned and watched as Henry disappeared down the hallway. He could hear the door open before loud voices echoed off the walls. Bendy nearly jumped out of his skin as loud running footsteps came running toward them, thoughts racing as to how he was going to protect Boris and Alice from whatever was coming toward them.

“Alice! Boris!” A squeal came as a little girl with blonde hair tied back into two short pigtails came running into the kitchen. A little boy, a little older than her with dirty blonde hair and a navy-blue baseball cap, followed behind her, racing toward the wolf.

Boris bounced from his chair, exhaustion forgotten, and picked the boy up, twirling him about in the air, howling with laughter. Alice, too, had stood from her chair and hugged the little girl tightly before twirling around with her hands in hers.

Bendy cocked his head at the image before him. _Boris and Alice knew these two? How long had they been friends?_

It was here that Henry made his appearance and noticed Bendy’s confusion. “This is David and his little sister, Denise,” he explained to the little demon, “They live down the road from here and often play with Boris and Alice at one of the parks nearby.”

At the mention of her name, Denise turned to see Henry talking to a character she had never seen before. Bendy got a full look at the girl with her facing him. She wore a big pink t-shirt with a kitten-type character on it, blue shorts, and white socks that peaked above her white tennis shoes. She was clutching a stuffed rabbit with a multi-colored polka-dotted bow in her arms, common for a child of her age to carry around. She suddenly ducked behind Alice, peaking her head around the cartoon angel’s waist.

“Alice, who’s that?” she asked pointing at the demon.

“This is Bendy,” Henry smiled at Denise, “He’s a friend of Boris and Alice.”

“Oh cool!” David came forward and looked at the demon up and down.

Unlike his sister, Bendy noticed David was a bit more unabashed. As the boy was looking over the demon, Bendy looked him over as well. David was about his height, maybe a little taller, and wore a bright blue t-shirt with a baseball on the front, jean shorts, and muddy tennis shoes with white socks peeking out. The baseball cap, obviously too big for his head, kept slipping forward and backward on top of his dirty blonde hair.

“I never knew ya had another friend ‘sides Alice, Boris,” David was saying, turning to the wolf, “Ya think he knows how ta play a good ol’ game of kickball?”

“Kickball?” the demon asked, looking to Henry for help on the topic of discussion.

“Probably not,” Boris answered, crouching down to be level with David, “Bendy’s been in hidin’ fer a while, so everythin’ he’s experiencin’ now is new ta ‘im.”

“Hidin’? From what?” David asked.

“Something you’ll understand when you’re older,” Linda explained, making her presence known again, “Boris, Alice, finish your breakfast, then Henry can take you all down to the park.”

“Is Bendy comin’?”

All eyes turned to the little devil darling. Pie cut eyes looked suddenly confused and he shrugged his shoulders, “I guess…”

David cheered before sitting down next to Boris while the wolf rushed to finish his eggs. Alice, on the other hand, took her time while Linda placed two glasses of chocolate milk in front of David and Denise. Bendy stirred his eggs as Henry took his seat again next to him.

“If you want to stay here with Linda, you can,” Henry whispered, watching as the demon suddenly became notably nervous about going out with Henry and the kids.

“A part of me wants ta,” Bendy explained, “but what if I hurt ‘em? They’re just kids, Henry…”

It was a first to hear Bendy call him by his name, other than “betrayer,” and it was startling ot hear him think he would harm these kids. True, he had put Henry through quite a bit of torture while in the studio, but he didn’t think Bendy was capable of hurting any child, his or anyone else’s. Unless Joey told him otherwise…

Henry placed a hand on the toon’s shoulder, “You won’t hurt them, Bendy, I promise,” then he got an idea, “But if you want to come, you can always sit and watch. I usually do, just in case something happens.”

Bendy perked up at the thought. He could just sit next to Henry and observe, that way he could play with the kids the next time.

Henry chuckled as Bendy gobbled up his breakfast before bouncing out of his chair, waiting impatiently for the rest of the crew to finish up.


	7. An Old Demon Learns New Tricks

The walk to the park wasn’t as far as Bendy thought it would be. The park itself was part of an old abandoned schoolyard that the city kept up on the maintenance for since the property was still usable. The building had been torn down to make way for the new baseball diamond that stood a little ways from the jungle jims, swings, and other playsets for the local families to entertain their children with.

As the group approached, another group, which were sitting on the grass near the baseball diamond, noticed their arrival and came running toward them. A good group of kids, all in the ages between six and ten, came running toward the group.

Henry took the time, as they were bouncing around Denise, Alice, Boris, and David, to point out the children and their names to Bendy. The first one was Allison, or Alley by the rest, then there was Steve, Martin, Josh, Kelcey, her little brother James, Brandon, and Jessie. Henry introduced Bendy to the group once everyone was convinced that, yes, Alice and Boris could play today and no, they weren’t going to disappear again.

“Okay, let’s choose teams!” David shouted.

“Whose team captains?”

“Alice is one, Boris is the other!”

Henry sat in the grass with Bendy next to him as Boris stood on one side and Alice on the other, each taking turns picking a child from the group to be on their teams. Henry then explained to Bendy that once the teams were chosen, they would decide which team would kick first while the other team played the field.

“What’s playin’ the field?” the little demon asked, confused.

“The team that ‘plays the field’ covers the diamond and the bases, attempting to get three of the players from the kicking team out,” Henry explained, “Once there are three outs, they switch places.”

Bendy still looked a little confused but decided to watch, hoping that it would be explained soon.

Alice’s team was kicking first, claiming that as a female and the lead captain, they should go first. Her team consisted of Denise, Ally, Kelcey, James, and Brandon. Boris’ team, who were in the field, consisted of David, Steve, Martin, Josh, and Jessie.

Bendy watched as Boris stood on the pitcher’s mound and rolled the ball toward Alice, who stood on home plate. She charged the ball, kicking it straight up into the air. Alice’s teammates cheered as she ran, touching the bases as she went. The ball, itself, was being chased down Steve, who caught the ball on a bounce and tossed it toward Martin, who was waiting on the third based for Alice.

She came around, passing Martian before the ball landed in the boy’s arms, sliding herself onto the home plate. Alice’s team cheered while Henry clapped, calling out, “Good run, Alice!”

Denise was next. Since she was the youngest, only five years old, Boris’ team went easy on her, letting her kick the ball gently and letting her get to first base.

Ally followed, kicking the ball straight up. Just as she headed toward the first base, David ran forward and caught the ball as it came straight down from where she kicked it.

“OUT!” Boris yelled. Bendy chuckled as Ally grumbled, getting back in line behind Brandon.

As the game continued onward, Bendy was able to make sense of the game and was suddenly interested in playing. Boris’ team had made it up to kick for the second time that day. The wolf stood ready, waiting for Alice to throw her killer bowling ball forward.

The second the ball started coming, the wolf charged and kicked the ball hard. Alice’s team ran for it, but Denise suddenly stopped, shouting, “Look out, Mr. Henry!”

Henry and Bendy looked up and saw the ball heading straight for them. Before they could move, the ball landed smack on Bendy, hitting the demon square in the face. Little stars appeared above the demon, circling his horned head, as everyone came over to make sure he was alright.

“Wow, Bendy,” David chuckled, “I’ve never seen a catch like that before!”

“You alright, Bendy?”

“The ball didn’t bruise ya?”

Bendy was suddenly stunned, and not by the sensation of being hit in the face by a rubber ball, either. Why were they all concerned about him? Most humans only worried about themselves, at least that’s what he recalled Joey telling him. A hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Denise looking him over. He shook his head to clear the rest of the stars before nodding that, yes, he was okay. He watched as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the little cartoon demon was alright.

“Next time, hold your hands out like this,” Ally demonstrated for the cartoon, “That way your protected from impact.”

“Have you been hi in the face before?” the demon asked.

“We all have!” Jessie grinned, “I lost a tooth while playing kickball!”

Everyone started laughing and even Bendy had to chuckle at the encounters of the kids getting hit by a powerful rubber sphere. Henry leaned back and watched with Bendy as the others returned to the field, trying to figure out if Boris was out or safe. The man looked down at the cartoon before asking, “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah!” The demon grinned at his creator, “I never knew that kickball could be fun, or that it could be mind-blowing!”

Cartoon and man laughed at the joke. There was something different about Bendy since his arrival. Henry turned and watched as the ball made its way in the air again, thinking, “Perhaps Bendy needed interaction with the kids. He is a cartoon after all, and he makes kids laugh.”

The man looked down as the demon whistled and cheered for the teams, knowing that everything that had once been horrible was left behind.

***

Not far from the park, a man stood and watched the crowd of kids playing with the cartoons. Bendy was sitting next to the betrayer on the grass, smiling and laughing. The man growled low and turned to walk away.

Everything he had worked for, everything he had done to convince the little devil otherwise was coming apart by the same man that had destroyed his reputation and abandoned his work. Joey knew full well that if this kept up, Bendy would never return to the studio and Joey’s haven of immortality would fall, leaving him to die.

As he vanished between the trees, he decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in case if anyone is wondering, I chose kickball because it seemed to be a more commonly played game and almost everyone is familiar with it. I am still working on character descriptions for the rest of the kids, hence why it is short, but I'm open to suggestions if anyone wants to offer them.


	8. A Change in Shape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh... well, that was exciting over my morning cup of coffee. There's a lot to unpack in this chapter, so this might be the longest for this fanfic.  
> Please R&R!

Ever since the kickball game, Bendy took the liberty to play with Alice, Boris, and the rest of kids when they met up. Since the summer was still on, the kids could play almost every day. When he asked what they meant by “summer vacation,” Henry explained about how the kids went to school to learn during the fall, winter, and spring.

“They’ll be available during the weekends to play, if they finish their homework,” Henry continued, “And you can always spend time with them on days they are off from school.”

Bendy liked the sound of it and, as time passed, he got to know each of the kids a bit more.

Alley reminded him of Allison Pendle when she worked at the studio. She was a head-strong brunette with freckles and loved singing silly songs, which Bendy thoroughly enjoyed listening to and singing along with her. She also loved playing dolls with Denise, since they were relatively close in age.

Steve and Martin, cousins that lived on the same block, both enjoyed harmless practical jokes, including ventriloquism. Steve, the dark hair one, would distract the intended target while Martin, the oldest of the group, would duck behind a bush before launching said practical joke. Bendy enjoyed watching them as well as playing a few practical jokes of his own.

Josh was a bit different compared to the group. He was a shy little boy, like Denise, and often was afraid of approaching new things. Boris explained to Bendy that it took Josh nearly a year before he approached Boris and Alice. The little devil darling took his time and always tried to smile when near Josh.

Kelcey and little James were the ones that hung out with David and Denise the most. David and Kelcey were the same tender age of nine, while James was a year older than Denise. Both of the kids had a sense of humor like David and they were always excited to see Boris and Alice. Bendy often received hugs from James when they all met up, and once a kiss on the cheek from Kelcey. Boris and Alice only laughed out loud after seeing the demon suddenly flabbergasted by the act.

Finally, Jessie was the tomboy of the girls. She was eight years old and loved comic books and bubble gum. She had an endless supply and would share pieces with everyone. When she introduced Bendy to the world of comic books, Bendy was shocked to see that there were all types, and not just superheroes like he had been told there were. “Superheroes are popular,” Jessie explained, going through a copy of Batman, “but there are mysteries, horror, and romance.” Bendy made a face at the last one, causing the girl to laugh before petting one of his horns.

But all in all, he loved the kids, he could understand why when Boris and Alice disappeared a few times after his arrival at the Ross home. They had fun, a great sense of humor, and were inclusive. Little did he know, that things were about to change…

***

It had been nearly five months since his arrival in the Ross home, and four months since meeting the neighborhood kids. Bendy was… happy. Happier than he had been in his entire existence.

It was on his fifth month anniversary that David and Denise showed up the third time that week to take the cartoons out to play. Bendy tagged along, Henry following behind them. David was telling everyone about the new soccer ball that Martin got for his eleventh birthday the previous month and how they wanted to use it to play kickball again.

“Aren’t soccer balls a little harder than a rubber kickball?” Bendy asked, a little concerned.

“Not by much,” David answered, “After beatin’ it up a bit, it’ll be the same.”

Upon arrival at the park, Bendy suddenly stopped. It felt something in the air had changed and a sense of unease had crept up the little demon’s spine. Henry noticed this, and rested a hand on the little demon’s back, “You alright, bud?”

“Somethin’ don’t seem right, Henry,” the demon explained, “I feel like somethin’ bad’s gonna happen.”

Henry looked around the park of what he could see, if Bendy was having a funny feeling, it did mean trouble. He looked down at the demon, “I’ll look around. It might be nothing, but I’ll check to see if there is anything unusual about the place just in case.” Bendy nodded and watched as Henry vanished into one direction while the group headed in another.

Martin and Steve, followed by the others, met with the newcomers just as they entered the park.

“What’s goin’ on?” David asked.

“There’s a lot of thick black mud on the baseball diamond,” Martin explained.

“It’s disgusting!” Kelcey piped in.

“And it’s sticky like tar!” Brandon chimed.

“We’re not sure if we should play on the field,” Steven echoed.

“Hold on,” Boris lifted his hands in a calm gesture, “Let’s take a look at it.”

The kids led the toons toward the baseball diamond. Sure enough, there were six or seven large puddles of what looked like wet tar. Alice grabbed a stick and poked it, watching the puddle for any signs of creatures the toons knew that lived in puddles similar to this. Bendy, hiding behind Boris, look onward at the diamond before piping up, “Perhaps we should play somewhere else… or something else.”

“Afraid of a little mud?” David asked.

“No…”

“Well, let’s choose teams then!”

Alice and Boris split. It was decided, when Bendy started playing, that if one team had two toons, the other team could have an additional person.

“I’ll take Bendy,” Boris said.

“Oh? Then I’ll take David.”

“I’ll take Ally.”

“I’ll take Denise.”

“I’ll take Josh.”

“I’ll take Steve and Martin.”

“I’ll take Kelcey and James.”

“And I’ll take Brandon and Jessie.”

“And we kick first.”

The group laughed, realizing the Alice had just been japed by a wolf. They split and prepared to play. Although it was fun, Bendy couldn’t take his mind off the puddles that surrounded the baseball diamond. Nothing had happened so far, maybe it was just his imagination.

It was Boris’ team’s turn to kick a third time while Alice’s team covered the field. Bendy rubbed his gloved palms together and prepared to kick. The softened soccerball, thanks to Boris, rolled toward him and a kick later, it was sailing through the air.

“Run, Ben, Run!” Bendy raced toward the first base when he felt something in him twitch. Time slowed as he turned and saw Denise racing toward the ball. She tripped by one of the mystery puddles, missing the catch. As she turned to go after it, an ink black hand rose from the puddle, followed by a blackend figure.

Alice noticed it too, “Denise! Look out!”

She turned and screamed as the figure moved toward her. David ran to protect his sister, when another figure popped out of the ink, grabbing at the boy. All the kids screamed as all the puddles suddenly erupted with the ink creatures.

As Denise tripped again, trying to get away from the searcher, the creature reached out to attack her when a clawed hand grabbed it by the back. Everyone turned to see a very large ink creature with ink dribbling down every inch of its body, making the creature have a menacing appearance. The only features that gave any indication that this was indeed the little devil darling was the two horn-like ears that sat on its head, a wide grinning smile on the part of its face that could be seen, a drooping white bow tie at its neck, white gloves that looked like clawed hands with ink dripping across them, and a devilish tail swishing back and forth.

It roared at the searcher before crushing it in its claws. The other searchers raced toward it, forgetting the others, knowing this was the creature they had been sent to capture and bring back to the Studio. But Bendy wasn’t having it. He stood his ground and attacked the searchers who dared to harm the children he so loved.

David raced forward and wrapped his sister in a tight embrace, shielding her from what he and the others were witnessing. He couldn’t believe that this creature was also one heck of a kicker.

Once the last one was crushed, everyone watched as the blackened puddles slowly dissolved, leaving nothing but sand in its wake. Boris and Alice raced toward David and Denise, afraid that Bendy might have hurt them.

But demon had hunkered down and the two kids watched as he slowly shrank back to the little devil darling cartoon they both knew. The others gaped in shock at what they had just witnessed. Boris and Alice knelt next to the two kids while the others crowded around the group.

Bendy leaned forward, rubbing his head, “Urgh… what?”

But the sight before him was all he needed to know. Boris and Alice looked at him as if he was the same demon who was a monster from the studio. David and Denise were huddled in their arms, scratches covering Denise’s arms and legs. The others were looking upon him in both fear and awe.

Bendy’s pie-cut eyes widened and, before anyone could do anything, he took off, racing toward the edge of the park. He could hear them shouting for him to stop, but he couldn’t. He hurt them, the renewed happiness that he had wanted so much. Inky tears spilled from his eyes, and he didn’t even see Henry making his way toward the group, until he ran right into him.

“Bendy? Bendy! Are you alright? What happened?”

“Just leave me alone!” the little demon cried, taking off down the street.

Henry raced down the see the others racing toward him.

“What happened?”

***

Bendy didn’t stop running, not until he reached the Ross house and pulled the door opened, slamming it shut behind him.

Linda was in the kitchen when she heard the door slam and muffled crying. She came out and saw Bendy laying on the sofa, hands covering his eyes, and crying as if the end of the world was about to happen.

“Bendy? Are you alright?”

“No! Just leave me alone, Miss Linda! I’m a horrible demon!”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am!”

“Bendy,” the woman spoke calmly, “look at me.”

The little demon looked up at the woman, sniffling pitifully. He watched as Linda came around and sat on the sofa next to him, pulling him into her arms for a hug, “It’s okay… it’s okay, tell me what happened.”

Bendy told her everything, about the strange puddles on the diamond, then the searchers appearing and attacking the kids before he lost consciousness. How he came to and thought that he had hurt Denise and how they would never want to play with him or Alice or Boris again because of what he did. Linda wiped his tears away as he finished, “You didn’t do anything wrong, Bendy.”

“How do ya know?” the demon asked sniffling.

“From what it sounds like, you saved Denise from those things. I personally haven’t encountered them, but Henry told me everything about the studio and what happened while he was there. I know how dangerous those creatures are and, believe you me, I’m glad you were there to protect them.”

Bendy looked up in surprise, “Ya think… the scratches came from somethin’ else?”

Linda nodded, “Kids get scratches all the time. They could be from scraping a knee, or sliding to home plate, or anything else. I bet those scratches came from while you were playing kickball and Denise probably scraped her arm if she tripped and fell.”

Bendy looked down at his shoes. He felt suddenly relieved. He hadn’t caused any damage at all, to anyone. He smiled up at Linda, thanking her.

She smiled, “Let’s get you a drink of water, then I’ll take you back down to the park. Henry and the others are probably looking everywhere for you.”

She stood and Bendy hear the faucet start running when something suddenly hit him on the back of the head and he lost consciousness for the second time that day.


	9. Return to the Studio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And just as I was ready to put this away for the weekend, inspiration hits me like a ton of bricks.  
>  I will say, I do have the story completed, but give me a few moments so I can add the last chapters.  
> As Always, Please R&R if not for inspiration, but for my poor sanity.

The back of Bendy’s head was throbbing like something had hit him hard. He felt himself sit up and begin to slowly wake into consciousness. He found himself in his creator’s old workshop, and someone was standing in the shadows, watching him.

“Who are ya?”

A devilish voice chuckled, “Bendy, my little devil, don’t you recognize your own creator?”

The little cartoon’s pie-cut eyes grew as Joey Drew stepped from the shadows. He shook his head in disbelief. _It couldn’t be! Joey died years ago…_

The man laughed, “I know what you’re thinking, my little devil. How am I still alive? I never died.”

“Then where were ya?!”

“I had some important tasks I needed to do before I returned,” the man explained calmly, “I had hoped that you would be capable of caring for everything by yourself.”

“Bull $#!|!” the demon squeaked, “Ya never cared fer me, never cared fer Alice or Boris, either! Henry was always right! Ya just wanted me ta use me against Henry fer what happened thirty years ago!”

“Did Henry tell you what happened?” Joey asked.

Bendy stood still, “Whatda ya mean? He told me he ‘ad no choice. He had ta go ta war…”

“That’s what he wants you to think,” Joey smiled, “You see, my little devil, I gave him an ultimatum. Henry could continue to work for the Studio or he could leave. The doors were always open for him to return, but he never did. He chose to go to war.”

“But that’s cause he had ta!”

“No, he didn’t. There are always ways to work around the system, and I had several waiting for him to say so,” Joey leveled himself to the demon, “Now think Bendy, if he truly cared, he would have stayed, wouldn’t he?”

Bendy thought long and hard. His mind was still in a jumble from being hit on the head and he couldn’t think straight. He unconsciously rubbed the back of his head, feeling a small bump forming. Joey stood and looked on the demon’s head before a curse sounded through the room, “That blasted woman! We were lucky Sammy found you before she could do any real damage.”

Bendy’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull, “But, Miss Linda wouldn’t do anythin’…”

“She was ready to kill you when Sammy found you, my little devil,” Joey explained slowly, “Apparently when your back was turned, she came up behind you with a cast-iron frying pan and knocked you out. Just before she could do anymore damage, Sammy and the other searchers attacked her and brought you back here.”

Bendy bowed his head. _Was everything he ever learned to love a lie? Did Henry and Linda lie to him to bring his guard down and keep his power from reaching its full potential as Joey claimed?_

The man patted the little devil on the back, “It’s alright now, my little devil, let us get you patched up and ready to bring your power back.”

***

For a third time, Henry’s car pulled into the gravel drive of Joey Drew Studios. He was raging mad that the ink creatures had broken into his home, hurt his wife, and had taken his creation back to the gloomy depths of the studio. Not only that, but attacked innocent children in order to do it too!

After the kids told him what happened, Henry took a look over Denise. She claimed she was okay, but was startled by Bendy’s form.

“How’d he do that?” David asked, “Grow like that and become like a monster?”

“We’re made of ink,” Boris explained, “Bendy, because he’s a demon, can change shapes if he wants ta. He can grow in size or change his form.”

“Does that mean you guys can do the same thing?” Josh questioned, suddenly nervous of seeing Alice and Boris turn into the frightening creature he had just seen moments ago.

“We can’t, only he can,” Alice smiled, patting Josh on the head, “He’s unique in that sense.”

“He’s done it before, only to protect Boris and Alice from harm,” Henry continued. He told the kids about the abandoned studio and what is was before and how he had worked there before the war. He explained that as their creator, Boris, Alice, and Bendy trusted him to look after them as their father figure when he brought them back home.

“Well, let’s go find him!” David spoke. He had to thank Bendy for protecting his little sister, as well as saving them for what Henry called “The Ink Searchers.” The other kids spread out around the neighborhood looking for the little devil darling. Henry, however, had a sneaky suspicion that the first place Bendy would run to was home.

He, Alice, Boris, Denise, and David rushed to the Ross residence, only to find a startling surprise. After they discovered Linda lying on the floor of the kitchen, a bump on the head but nothing more, the two kids were desperate to come with Henry and the two toons to bring back their devilish friend. Henry had to explain that where they were going was far too dangerous for kids and he needed them to stay with Linda in case anything else happened.

“Henry,” Alice asked, “you don’t think there could be a chance that Joey is still alive and that he’s using Bendy for something horrible?”

“Joey Drew’s been dead fer years,” Boris tried to comfort the angel, “I bet my bone collection that Sammy had somethin’ to do with it.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Henry nodded in agreement, “He did knock me out the last time I encountered him, with a metal dust pan at that.”

Once the vehicle parked, they all climbed out, Henry grabbing his axe from the trunk yet again. _‘Hold on, bud, we’re coming…’_

***

Joey stood before one of the many ink machines on the lowest floor of the building. With the Projectionist gone and out of the way, he had moved much of the needed equipment to Level Fourteen in order to make room for more need machines.

This machine, however, was different compared to the others and had taken him almost thirty years to complete it. This ink machine, though similar in design like the others, was a soul storage unit as well as a power amplifier. When a person or creature of ink went through this machine, they would gain one soul which harnessed energy, which gave said ink creature a ten-fold magnum of power.

It was strong enough for Bendy to go through, but it was still incomplete. Joey needed one last soul to finish the machine and be able to live for lifetimes.

“My lord!” Joey turned to see Sammy coming toward him, “Henry, Boris, and Alice Angel have made their way into the Studio!”

“Good. Do not, under any circumstances, let Bendy know of their presence until we’ve captured them,” Joey ordered his minion, “Send the searchers and Butcher gang after them. They are to be brought to the center unharmed. I don’t want anything happening to our _guests_ until we’re ready.”

Sammy bowed and disappeared to do as his lord ordered. Joey turned back to the machine, grinning, “Soon, Henry, you will pay for the trouble you’ve caused…”


	10. The Final Confrontation

When Henry awoke, he was chained to a wall in a strange room that he had never seen before. It took him a moment to remember what had happened and how he got here. He recalled entering the building with Alice and Boris behind him. All three of them had begun the slow decent down into the depths of the studio. But what was odd was that there were no signs of the ink searchers, the butcher gang clones, or even Sammy, if he was still alive…

They had reached Level Nine by the stairs, primarily because the elevator was broken and, even if it was operational, Henry didn’t trust it, when Boris picked up a faint scratching noise. They followed it down the stairs to Alice’s former hideout when out of nowhere, inky hands grabbed at the trio. Searchers popped up from recreated ink puddles and the butcher gang clones made their appearance, racing toward them.

Alice screamed and Boris howled as Henry hacked at the attackers. It soon became too much for him and his vision went dark. Henry figured they must’ve dragged them to this room and tied him up. But, where was Alice and Boris? And most importantly, where was BENDY?

“Henry!” a feminine voice rang out in the dark room. He looked up and saw Alice in a cage, while Boris was in another, hanging not too far from where Alice was. The cages looked to be made of a heavy steel with rough iron hinges. Quickly made, as if they were made in a hurry.

“Ah! I see you’ve awoken at last, old friend.”

Henry turned his head to see a familiar figure approach them.

“No… It can’t be!” Boris yelped in surprise.

“Aww, how sweet,” Joey grinned, “The mutt remembers me!”

It was true, before them stood Joey Drew in all his glory, as if he hadn’t aged at all. He still had the same dark brown hair with greyish streaks mixed in his locks, styled the same way it always looked when Henry last saw him, pale blue eyes, and wrinkles that covered his face and traveled down his neck. He still wore the same black vest and white shirt with a pale blue tie and dark grey dress pants. The ‘Bendy’ brooch still sat on his tie, the same place he always wore it since he had it uniquely made, just for him.

“Joey,” Henry called out to the man who had once been his best friend and co-founder, “what’s going on? Where is Bendy?”

“Calm yourself, Henry,” Joey raised a hand, “You always were a bit uptight about things, I see that hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Answer the damn questions, Joey!” Henry shouted.

“I will, if you learn to shut your trap.”

Henry sealed his lips, only because he wanted to know what had become of the innocent little demon he had taken in. If Joey was here, then that meant something happened to Bendy.

“Now,” Joey smiled calmly, knowing he had Henry’s full attention, “As for _MY_ little devil, he has reopened his eyes to the truth of things. I had to explain, since I knew you wouldn’t tell him the full truth about what happened between the two of us that long thirty years ago.”

“Your devil? Bendy was _MY_ creation that _YOU_ stole from me! And as for the argument…”

“Hush yourself, Henry. All will be revealed in time, as it always is,” Joey continued, “And as for what is going on, well, that is another story entirely.”

It was here that Joey lit a single match and dropped it to the floor. Henry watched as the fire followed lines and created a shape he was far too familiar with. It was an inverted pentagram, the symbol of the devil and his followers. It was a shape he had seen throughout the Studio and workshop, keeping a “protective” seal on everything the little devil darling touched and watched over.

With the light from the fire, he could see that he was literally sitting in one of the points of the star, as well as Joey and another ink machine. Two of the points were left opened, which meant that two more things were needed to complete the ritual, if that was what was going on.

“You seem concerned, old friend,” Joey chuckled, “Don’t worry, it will all be over soon.”

It was here that he tossed a copy of _“The Illusion of Living”_ in one of the empty points. He turned his head as black inky veins spread across the room, making it darker than it already was. Alice and Boris leaned forward in their cages to get a better look when the Ink Demon appeared from the floor, right in the final point of the inverted pentagram.

Bendy had regrown to the monster they had seen before with ink dribbling down every inch of its body, making the creature have a menacing appearance. The only features that gave any indication that this was indeed the little devil darling was the two horn-like ears that sat on its head, a wide grinning smile on the part of its face that could be seen, a drooping white bow tie at its neck, white gloves that looked like clawed hands with ink dripping across them, and a devilish tail swishing back and forth. He looked aggravated, but didn’t speak a word upon arriving.

“Bendy!” Henry was relieved to see the demon ok. But the newly grown demon Bendy turned his head away from Henry, as if he was ashamed.

“Bendy?” Henry asked.

“I would advise not to speak with him,” Joey grinned devilishly, “He could… attack you if provoked.”

“What did you do to him?!” Boris growled from the rafters.

“Joey told me everything I needed to know,” Bendy answered, his voice gruff, “About how Henry quit because of things here at the studio, how he left for the war, and decided to never return because he felt GUILTY ABOUT LEAVING US BEHIND!”

Alice and Boris turned to their father, fear echoing in their eyes. Henry looked down, ashamed of his past. He had been only thirty years old when he left the studio, and it was only a month later that he had been drafted by the army. He had lost his friends and family, and even his cartoon creations that thrived in the studio after he left. He had only returned upon receiving the note from Joey, hoping to patch things up and that they had no hard feelings for each other. But, he had been wrong.

“It’s true,” Henry explained, “I did leave because I didn’t like the way I was treated. I was overworked, tired, and I didn’t see Linda or my kids for weeks on end because I was stuck at a drawing table, breaking my wrist for _him_ ,” he glared at Joey as he continued, “I went to war and saw how horrible life really could be and decided that if I wasn’t going to work, I might as well spend it with the people who truly do care about me, and not for a man who wanted to do nothing but take credit for other people’s work.”

He turned toward the demon, who was staring at him in surprise, “I did want to come back. But every time, I thought I would lose myself to Joey and lose my wife and kids in the process. I couldn’t come back, even though you, Alice, and Boris were still a part of me…”

“What a touching tale,” The carton and man turned to see Joey clapping his hands, “Too bad it’s all lies…”

Now bendy was confused, He could feel the sincerity in Henry’s words, but known Joey for so long that he didn’t know if he should believe him or Henry at this point. His head throbbed and as the two men continued to bicker back and forth, Bendy covered his head, trying to block out the noise and the confusion.

***

Unseen by those on the floor below, shadows were watching and hearing everything. The trip to the abandoned studio hadn’t been hard, finding Henry, Alice, and Boris was another thing. But once they found them, the little group was trying to form a plan of action.

“Okay, Martin, ya and Steve cause a distraction, since you’re the best at it. Jessie, ya, Brandon, and Josh find something we can use as weapon against them ink things down there, since they seem to be protecting the circle form anything else entering or exiting. Alley, find some water we use to put out that fire so when Kelcey and James get Boris down, he won’t burn up. Denise and I will get Alice.”

“Are you sure about this, David?” Jessie whispered, “What if we get caught? Steve and Martin are going to be dealing with that stripe-head over there, and not to mention creepy masked man.”

“Keep low and outta sight,” David explained, “We’re smaller than most adults, so they won’t know we’re here… not yet.”

“And what about Bendy?” Josh asked.

“We’ll leave him to Mr. Henry. He can snap him out of it,” Martin answered, “Worst case scenario, we can throw stuff at him.”

“Alright. Let’s do this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, ya gotta love a good cliffhanger... maybe?  
> Please R&R!


	11. Powerful Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, final chapter! I dunno about you guys, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. It was fun and, yes exhausting, but it was definitely worth the wait. As always, please R&R and visit those artist mention in Chapter 1 of After Events because they deserve credit for the inspiration for this story.  
> Please enjoy this final chapter!

Bendy had his head in his hands so tightly to block out the yelling caused by Henry and Joey that he nearly missed a thumping noise coming from the rafters above. It took a moment, but soon everyone heard it. It sounded like loud footsteps running along the rafters, and crashing sounds like over tipped stacks of bacon soup cans.

Some of the searchers disappeared to see what the fuss was all about, when more noises came from another direction. This time it sounded like bird calling, but horrible. Bendy scratched his head, what in the world was going on?

“Sammy, send some more searchers up there,” Joey spoke, “I have to start the ritual before it’s too late.”

“We never agreed ta this,” Bendy spoke to Joey, “Ya told me…”

“WE NEED HENRY TO COMPLETE YOU AND MAKE YOU STRONGER THAN EVER!” Joey roared at the demon, his patience at last wearing thin. He had waited over thirty years to be immortal and he wasn’t going to lose it when it was in his grasp.

A groaning noise broke through the conversation and everyone turned to see Edgar and Charlie holding two small kids. The one Edgar was holding was a little girl with blonde twin pigtails and wore a big pink t-shirt with a kitten-type character on it, blue shorts, and white socks that peaked above her white tennis shoes. The other, held in check by Charlie, had dirty blonde hair and a navy-blue baseball cap and wore a bright blue t-shirt with a baseball on the front, jean shorts, and muddy tennis shoes with white socks peeking out.

“David! Denise! I told you to stay with Linda!” Henry shouted upon seeing the two kids.

“Ah, so you do know these little spies,” Joey grinned, a new idea forming, “Well, if you won’t cooperate, maybe they will.”

Bendy watched as Denise’s eye grew wide with fright. He had seen her that way when the searchers had attacked her and their friends earlier that same day. Something in him snapped, a child was innocent. If Joey was going to try and hurt these two, then he’d have to go through the demon to do so.

A rumble shook the room, causing Joey to drop to the floor. When he looked up, the demon was towering over him.

“What are you-!” He never finished as Bendy picked him up by the collar, holding the man up in the air with no way to escape.

Joey was only five’ four compared to Bendy’s monstrous height of seven feet tall, and there was no way or how he could protect himself from the rage he could feel coming off the demon.

“SAMMY!” Bendy barked at the ink masked man, “RELEASE ALICE, BORIS, AND HENRY. NOW.”

Sammy looked confused, before following the demon’s order.

“Don’t listen to him, Sammy!” Joey called out.

“I’LL PUT YA THROUGH HELL AND BACK IF YA DON’T,” the demon threatened. Sammy did as he was told and released Henry of his shackles before turning his attention to the lever that held the cages suspended in the air.

The demon turned to the Butcher Gang, snarling, “RELEASE THOSE CHILDREN. NOW.”

Edgar and Charlie removed their hands from the children’s shoulder. Bendy watched Denise and David as they made their way over to where Alice and Boris stood before turning back to the butcher gang members, growling, “SCAT.”

And they scrammed, disappearing down the dark halls of the studio from where they came.

After he knew that the others were safe, Bendy lowered Joey, keeping a grip on the man’s collar before continuing, “NOW, JOHNNATHAN CARSTEN DREW, YA HAVE MADE ME EXTREMELY ANGRY BY THREATENING MY FRIENDS AS WELL AS _TWO INNOCENT_ _CHILDREN_ WHOM I HOLD DEAR TA MY BLACKENED HEART. I WILL LEAVE YOU MOMENTARILY TA THINK ON WHAT YA DID BEFORE I GIVE YA A FINAL PUNISHMENT FER EVER DARING TA THINK YA CAN DESTROY MY HAPPINESS.”

It was here he dropped Joey to the ground just as the fire was extinguished, creating nothing but ash and smoke in its wake. As Bendy led the crowd out, Joey suddenly called, “You think you have me beat, have you?!”

Everyone turned and saw Joey standing, holding his arms out like he was on the cross. But, what drew Bendy’s attention was the little brooch on Joey’s tie near his neck. The little demon’s eyes were glowing a horrible red and Bendy could feel the ink that was coursing through the studio racing towards them. Henry looked down to see veins of ink making its way toward Joey and both toon and creator gaped in horror as the ink incased Joey’s body, causing him to grow both in height and in strength.

What had once been a man of genius to some was now a monstrous creature. Two large black curved horns peeked out from Joey’s head and a large smiling mouth filled with white sharp fangs snapped at the group. Black claws grew from the monster’s palms and each foot became clawed hooves while a long, thick black devil tail from it’s back. The only thing that showed that this was indeed Joey and not Bendy was the white crocked bow tie with the little demon brooch sitting on it.

As the creature roared, Henry shouted for Alice and Boris to take the kids outside. Bendy, on the other hand, bounded toward his former master, claws out and teeth at the ready.

As the two demons fought, Henry desperately looked around for a weapon. _Where was his axe when he needed it?_

“Mr. Henry! Up here!” He looked up to see Steve and Martin covered in ink waving an axe at him, “You’ll need this!”

Henry caught the axe by the handle and shouted for the boys to get out. He noticed a few other shadows following behind them and had to wonder if all the kids had come to bring Bendy home. He was snapped back to the present when Bendy landed on the wall before hitting the ground. Henry rushed forward when a clawed hand grabbed for him.

A quick swipe slit the ink skin open, causing the ink creature to howl in pain. Bendy groaned slightly, “He’s too powerful, Henry, there’s no way we’ll be able ta take him down.”

“Unless the brooch has something to do with it,” Henry spoke, “Was there anything you remember during your time here that might have come from _“The Illusion of Living”_?”

“I remember readin’ somethin’ about a source of power… as long as the individual has it in their possession, they can remain untouchable.”

“Well,” Henry gripped his axe tightly, “Let’s see if we can remove that piece of jewelry from my old friend, huh?”

Bendy grinned and jumped up, bounding toward Joey again with Henry hot on his heels. The ink monster saw their approach and swung a massive clawed hand in their direction. But the two avoided the hit, vaulting onto the inky arm. Bendy moved toward the back, sinking his claws deep into the inky flesh, causing Joey to howl in pain, while Henry race to the front. Joey, too distracted by Bendy, didn’t realize until it was too late that Henry had managed to free the brooch from his neck.

“ **GIVE ME THAT, ROSS!** ” the demon shrieked as Bendy made his escape. Joey moved to crush Henry with his fist, but Bendy was faster, pulling his creator out of the way just as a fist landed on the wooden boards. The sacrificial room shook with the impact, knocking Bendy and Henry over, causing them to land on the wooden floorboards hard as the brooch flew from Henry’s grasp.

Henry grabbed his axe again as he and Joey raced toward the jewel piece. Just as Joey reached for it, a blade, split the brooch into two separate pieces.

“ **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!** ” Joey screamed, “ **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!** ”

Henry watched in horror as the creature before him slowly began to melt away. Joey let out one last screech in sheer horror as he vanished into nothing but an inky puddle that slowly desolved. He leaned back, the adrenaline leaving his system.

“Henry?” a familiar small voice spoke. He turned and smiled at the little devil darling who had returned to his normal size, “I’m alright bud, how are you?”

“I’m okay…” the demon answered slowly, “I’m so sorry, Henry… fer the trouble I caused everyone. I understand if ya want me ta not come back with ya…”

Henry wrapped his arms around Bendy, pulling him into a big hug, “No Bendy, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve been there to protect you from Joey. I am the one who abandoned you, Alice, and Boris here. I’m sorry.”

Bendy hugged his creator. It was in that moment that all was forgiven and neither of them noticed the broken brooch, too, melted into an ink puddle before dissolving into nothingness.

***

When Bendy and Henry appeared out of the studio, they were greeted by Boris, Alice, and a crowd of kids, who were very happy to see Bendy back in his normal form. All the kids thanked Bendy for saving them from the ink creatures and how they were grateful to see him alive and safe. Bendy gave each one of them a hug, saying he was sorry for frightening them, even though a handful of them wanted to see him do it again.

He explained he was tired and couldn’t possible do it again tonight. He agreed that he would do it for Halloween and they all watched as the kids mounted their bikes and headed back home.

“Do ya think they’ll get inta trouble fer being home late?” Bendy asked Henry as Boris and Alice climbed into the car.

“I guess, but that won’t stop them from playing with you, Bendy. They love you.”

Bendy smiled that darling devilish smile Henry used to draw on him, “And I love ‘em too, Henry.”

Once all had climbed into the car, Henry pulled out from the drive and took the toons home, who, now content in the knowledge that they were indeed free from the shadows of the studio, fell into blissful dreams of only fun and laughter.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I received several notes about what had happened to Sammy and, I guess, I had assumed people who read it knew what had happened to him, but apparently not.  
> So, this epilogue is super short and highlights what became of the characters we did know of and who we haven't met in the story...

They were gone. They were free at last.

A figure smiled behind his cardboard mask as he looked upon the ruinned remains of the sacrificial room. The master thought he could cheat death. But in the end, it seemed death had cheated him.

The searchers and the Butcher Gang members were slowly fading into puddles which would eventually dissolve into nothing before his eyes. In a few moments time, he would do the same. Where he would go, Sammy wasn’t certain. Hopefully it be better than where he was now.

Laying upon the floor, he hummed softly, the tune of his sanctuary. He recalled the memories of those years ago when he was at the peak of his art. The music had been an escape from the reality of what he was witnessing all around him. Then, a blackout before Joey tossed him in that wretched machine, keeping his soul and binding it to this inky body.

He had secretly hoped that everyone else had fared better than what happened to him.

A soft giggle broke his concentration. His eyes snapped opened to see Susie Campbell smiling at him. She looked like a specter, almost invisible to any untrained eyes, with her blonde hair flying about her as if she was underwater.

There were others behind her. Sammy recognized Thomas Connor with his arms folded over his chest and legs crossed as he floated in the air above him, Wally was beside him, grinning like a kid in a candy store. Then there was poor Grant Cohen, now pristine and proper, as Allison Pendle leaned against his shoulder. Norman Polk was grinning at seeing his old friend again while Shawn Flynn and Jack Fain chuckled at the sight.

Susie held her hand out to the mildly-confused Sammy, “Are you ready to go home?”

Sammy took her hand in his as she pulled him up. As he looked down, the ink that had harbored his soul for so long at last collapsed into nothingness. Sammy returned the smile to Susie and as all the former employees turned to the light that beckoned to they from above, Sammy Lawerence could feel a lightness in his heart he had never felt for a long time.

He was free.


End file.
